howardshabs - (John Howard)

Member since October 25, 2011

Victoria

Habs fan since: 1983
Favorite current player: Price
All-time favorite player: Beliveau

Signature:
Signature? Where's the pen?

Recent Comments

• Comment on And it's official: NHL lockout begins
  You need to do your own research... how HAVE they done? I would bet that the NHL has grown stronger than the NBA (which is a more accurate league comparison) Carolina is thriving, Nashville has a rowdy following, San Jose has one of the most dedicated fan bases. So Atlanta didn't work....I'm over it. I would trade a run for an out all day. btw, the Columbus market isn't dead. It is a strong hockey state and full of potential.... if only it had a competent GM
• Comment on And it's official: NHL lockout begins
  Well said The old CBA was not working anymore and I don't know why the players feel entitled to it still. You had it for 7 good years, now move on. 57% of revenues is WAY too much. You cannot run a successful business on that unless you're in a heavily concentrated target market (like Toronto or Costco). I dont care if you're talking about 57% of $3.3 billion or $3.3 hundred), it's all relative to the risk and cost associated with running the business and providing the service. The owners deserve the bigger piece of the pie The players deserve a comfy seat on a plane, smart support staff, and fresh stick tape.
• Comment on And it's official: NHL lockout begins
  Prett-yyyy.... prett-yyyyy.....prettt-yyyyyy good actually I know this isnt a popular stance to take, but Bettman has done a damn good job growing and improving the game. No he's not a typical die hard hockey fan, but if a die hard fan was at the head of the NHL, then we wouldn't have the progress that has been made. A die hard fan running the NHL would have settled in 2004 before a lockout, and the NHL would not be where it is today (the Cap System is a large part of it) The NHL just started a 10 year - $2 billion deal with NBC (the largest ever for the NHL). That is proof in the pudding that the game has grown in the US. Bettman has done a good job opening new markets with the expansion plans. Sure he's allowed the NHL to keep teams in struggling markets, but if he moved teams once they hit tough times then the NHL would be no better then the NBA (with Vancouver) or the MLB (with the Expos). Where is there more NEW revenue available, Markham Ontario or Phoenix Arizona? Another team in Canada would be an instant success, however how much of that money would be NEW? Probably 80% (pure guess) of it would be money that is redirected from other NHL ventures. ie buying Hamilton tickets instead of Buffalo, or a Nordiques jersey instead of a Habs sweater (heaven forbid). He has also lead to a modernizing of the game. Bettman brought hockey minds on board and put the final hockey related decisions in the hands of the brightest hockey minds in the business.... and the game has never been better Now ending labour unrest. That has not happened... ...however you can't end labour unrest AND complete the other (much more profitable) goals. I blame the players for not allowing the negotiations to start earlier and clearly wanting to take this to a lockout (to put another 'blemish' on Bettman's record) I blame the owners for trying to rollback player salaries (you signed them to the damn contract, now pay them the full rate). I think the way to settle it is to have a salary rollback for the cap hit only. The players still earn the full amount of the contract, but the caphit gets rolled back 24% and subsequently the cap is given a more effective ceiling (using 48 to 50% of the Hockey Related Revenues)
• Comment on Bourque has surgery, out for a while
  You are wrong. On many accounts, and with great force. You are so very very wrong. "no wonder there were no takers for Galy". Really? He was taken at #3 overall. No takers? Wrong.
• Comment on Nash to the Rangers
  Why is the headline about Nash being a Ranger? We signed Galchenyuk. I know it was never in doubt, but it is way more important than Nash being traded to the Blue shirts. Let's focus on acquiring our own A1 player.
• Comment on Audio: Price in nets vs Wild, Habs cancel practice on eve of game
  Well said. Roy is the perfect GM to fit that model. Colourful interviews and will build relationships with other management. I would hang onto Cunneyworth until we find that perfect coach. Don't do something brash for the sake of more change. Please no Pierre McGuire.
• Comment on Blake Geoffrion to honour legendary family in No. 57
  This is the comment board for a motivated Geoffrion joining our lineup, and no one has him penciled into our plans for next year? IMO At the very least management will bury or ship out Gomez and sign the RFAs. I also think they will resign Moen, (fantastic idea for many reasons if you have half a brain, I'm sure you know). I would be happy going into the season with a healthy lineup of: Cole - DD - Patches Bourque - Pleks - Gio Geoffrion - Eller - Leblanc Blunden - White - Moen Noke, Shultz, Engvist Subban - Gorges Emelin - Markov Kaberle - Diaz Weber Price Budaj This is the worst case scenario and this team can be good, for many of the reasons StevR mentioned above. The most frustrating (or salvageable) part for me this season was sometimes watching a team on fire. Crisp passes. Smart hockey plays. Timely saves. Other times it would fall apart completely. Which in a way we are fortunate. A lottery pick added to this lineup is dynamite. I hope we get Dumba. An athletic, sky's the limit potential defenseman, like PK Subban but with less offensive flash and much more oh-so-perfectly timed hits. If we get Grigorenko, I hope he is as complete as Malkin, not as flaky as Filatov, Zherdev, Morosoz, Radulov, et al. Whoever we get should be expected to be as big of an impact as our last lottery pick (Price), and that's exciting if they perform to expectations. Adding that to this team would be even better then bare minimum changes. However, to truly be great we need to create a better culture. This starts with the mangement, they have no personality. The team is restricted to be boring, in fear of risky behaviour. It works for Belichick and the Patriots, but they only play 18 games in a year. I know the Habs had at least 18 good games this year. Well maybe 17. Either way, Molson needs to bring in Roy as GM, let him do a few colourful interviews, maybe ask him about Jeremy Roenick, and take the pressure off the team. Then they need to sign Cunneyworth up for French lessons and give him a 2 year contract. He's a players coach, and in this market someone needs to be loyal to the players to make them feel comfortable so they can play loose and effective. Then Roy would find a way to move Kaberle, Bourque and Gomer for aggressive, in your face, heart on your sleeve, hockey players. Like Blake Geoffrion. I wouldn't be upset if all we got back from our dead uninspired weight was a bag of pucks and a one timer machine to help our skilled potential reach their potential. My realistically obtainable lineup: Cole - DD - Patches *** - Pleks - Gionta Geoffrion - Eller - Leblanc Blunden - Nokey - Moen Subban - Gorges Markov - Emelin Diaz - Tinordi Weber - Price (with a new 10 year, $70 mill contract) Budaj *** - someone big, gritty and determined, like Cole, acquired somehow. UFA signing or trade. please note: In the lineup I have not accounted for the possibility of us getting Grigorenko, Dumba or one of the other top rated picks and them being NHL ready from day 1. That would be cool. This could be an exciting lineup. To be honest, this year is going to be better then that year Toronto knocked us out of the playoffs in our final game. If the Islanders didn't do the same to the Laffs the next night, who knows what I would have done. This year has its positives: 1 - True characters have emerged to form a new team identity for sustainable future (Price, Cole, DD, Patches, Eller, Moen, White, Subban, Gorges, Emelin) ((with Leblanc and Diaz on the verge of consistent impact)) 2 - We acquired Boom Boom's grandson, (and Howie Morenz's great grandson.... in the same transaction!) 3 - A Kost is no longer 'burdened' in Montreal 4 - The Count is gone! Jacques Martin was fired so this year is a success. Let's focus on the positives and let the team evolve.